Tension
by raehex
Summary: In which Simon Gotch helps his girlfriend de-stress from a terrible day at work. [Commission fic! Rated M for smut. Simon Gotch/OC]


**A/N:** Not gonna lie, I got very embarrassed writing this because, well, it's GOTCH. And SMUT. And, he's just so _gentlemanly._ But this is a commission for a good friend of mine who wishes to remain nameless! I hope you all enjoy...

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><p>Claire didn't realize that the human body could get this worn down; sure, she was a hard worker, an overachiever since she could remember, with a large and caring heart. However, running on empty for too long had eventually caught up to her, and as she toed off her flats walking into her apartment, flicking the light switch on, she wanted nothing more than to just collapse face first into her couch. Screw her bed; that was too far away at this point. She slowly started dropping articles of clothing in her trudge towards the plush soda; her purse a footstep or two away from her flats, her jacket hanging just barely off of the chair, jewelry dumped unceremoniously in a pile next to the sofa, before dumping herself face first into the cushions of the couch.<p>

It wasn't the most comfortable position to be lying in, but her limbs felt heavy, her eyes dried out and irritated from the tears she had been fighting on her car ride home. Maybe if she just closed her eyes, just briefly, maybe she could will herself to get back up, grab her things, and change into pajamas and curl up in her bed. Yeah… five minutes seemed like the right amount of time…

It was almost another two hours later when Simon had gotten home, closing the apartment door behind him quietly. He looked at the trail of items leading to Claire's sleeping form on the couch, and sighed sadly. He knew she was working so hard lately, taking extra hours when she really shouldn't have, even though she insisted on it, citing the money and good appearance this would give her at her new job. He had refrained from arguing with her, knowing that it would only be a losing battle, but he hated to be proven right, seeing her like this. She was usually meticulous in her neatness, but to see her, and her belongings, strewn about in the living room, made his heart ache.

The angle that she was positioned in seemed uncomfortable at best, but he figured he should put her things away first, before she ran around like a mad woman trying to find where they had gone to. He did his best to not disturb her, gently picking up the jewelry and hoping they didn't clink together, bringing the rest of the items in two at a time, placing them back where they properly belonged, before making his way back out to the living room where Claire lie sleeping.

He rubbed a hand absently over his mouth, watching her. He could see the stress forcing a slight grimace on her face even in her sleep; her muscles seemed tense. Surely there was something he could do for her? First was the task of bringing her into their bedroom, where she could get proper rest and spread out if need be. As he scooped her up into his arms, she grumbled, an eye cracking open slightly.

"Simon?"

"Well good morning to you too."

"Fuck, how long was I asleep?"

"Hmm. Not too sure, I just got home, if that's any help? You looked rather uncomfortable on the couch, so I figured I'd move you to the bed so you could get some better rest."

"You're too good to me."

"Shush you, I'm being a gentleman."

Claire huffed a laugh, nuzzling her face into his shirt as he carried her into the room, placing her gently down on the mattress.

"What pajamas do you want?"

Claire furrowed her brow slightly, looking intently at him. "Why? Are you going to dress me too?"

"You were too tired to make it into the bedroom. I think it's safe to assume that you are in dire need of some pampering right now. I figured to grab your pajamas now, so I could toss them in the dryer for a few minutes, get them nice and warm for you. But, first, you're going to take a nice long bath, and tell me _exactly_ what is bothering you. I don't like finding you like that, Claire. It worries me, you know that."

She did know it; she knew it the moment she took on these extra hours at work. She knew that Simon was catching on to how little she was eating, how few hours of actual restorative sleep she was getting, how even all the under-eye concealer in the world couldn't hide the dark circles she was getting from feeling worn down. Most people would cause an argument about this, letting their frustration about the situation get the best of them.

Simon, well, he was different. He was of the belief of nurturing and pampering and in some cases, he adhered to antiquated chivalry that, while Claire appreciated and valued it, was also not entirely necessary.

He'd insist on it, and she had learned to avoid arguing about it. If it made him happy to treat her, then who was she to argue with it.

Tonight seemed to be one of those nights.

"Sure thing. Go with the navy blue ones, with the silver pinstripes on them. They're fleece…" She sort of liked the idea of the warm softness of the fabric brushing against her legs after soaking in a hot bath, letting the tensions of the past few days ease out of her muscles and down the drain. She sat up, slowly, moving off of the bed to take off her pantyhose.

"As you wish." He made a show of bowing, knowing that his exaggerated interpretation of being gentlemanly would only make her laugh. His eyes almost seemed to sparkle when she covered her mouth, trying in vain to hold back the giggles that were bubbling forth.

"On that note, let me get that bath started for you. Get undressed, and I'll be waiting!"

As he walked out of the bedroom, pajama bottoms and a white tshirt draped over his shoulder, Claire closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. She didn't know how she had ended up with someone who wanted to do nothing but dote on her, and she had to pinch herself every now and then to make sure this was all real. She started undressing, moving as quickly as her body would allow, not wanting the water to grow cool in the slightest. She was going to enjoy every single second of that bath.

Finally, she padded into the bathroom, her robe wrapped tightly around her, watching Simon as he sat on the edge of the tub, testing the temperature of the running water, looking at a bottle of bath salts, muttering to himself.

"Everything alright over there?"

Simon turned around, smiling proudly. "Of course! I just wanted to make sure that these bath salts were going to be good for de-stressing. I think the water's ok that you won't burn yourself, but you let me know if it's too hot, ok?"

Claire nodded, walking towards the tub, placing her hand beneath the running stream of water from the faucet. "Just a little bit hotter, and it'll be perfect, thank you Simon."

She kissed him lightly on the forehead, while she backed away from the tub, moving to take her robe off, hanging it on the hook at the back of the door.

When she turned back around, he had moved out of the way, allowing for her to step in the tub. She stopped in her tracks, biting on the pad of her thumb gently.

"Would you be ok with coming in here with me? I'd appreciate it. I could really use the cuddles right now."

He smiled softly, nodding at her, before taking little effort and time to get out of his clothes as well, stepping into the tub, leaning back enough that when Claire stepped in after him, she could lay against him. As she made herself comfortable, squirming against him until she rested her head against his shoulder, he kissed at the top of her head.

"Go ahead, tell me how your day was."

Without any hesitation, Claire started discussing the problems she'd been having at work for the past few weeks, telling each miniscule issue in detail, before elaborating on how it had culminated in the shitstorm she had been witness to today. In the meanwhile, Simon had started to rub his thumb against her shoulder, finding a knot that had formed. As he worked it out, slowly, he hummed in agreement to whatever questions she'd ask him.

"You're absolutely right, that _is_ very stressful. I can actually feel that right now in your shoulders. Do you want me to rub that out for you?"

She nodded, and he began working in earnest, making sure to not make her wince in pain, but taking her groans of relief as encouragement.

"Does that feel better at all?" He spoke lowly, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her neck. He had moved his arms to wrap around her loosely, his fingers walking across her stomach, making her wriggle from the faint tickling feeling they made.

"Mm, much better, thank you." She sighed as he kept walking his fingers back and forth across her skin, continuing the kisses against her neck.

"Are you sure? You still seem sort of tense… I think I know what would do the trick…"

His hand started to move lower, pausing only for him to breathe out, "tell me if this is ok. If it's not, I'll stop."

"No… no, you're right, I think this would _absolutely_ help."

She could feel the smile against her neck, before his fingers found their way south, trailing lightly over her clit, a steady and slow rhythm, punctuated here and there with fingers dipping inside of her.

For a moment or two, all that could be heard was the gentle sloshing of the water in the tub with each movement of her body from his ministrations, and then finally, despite biting at her bottom lip to keep herself quiet, breathy whines and whimpers.

"That's it, sweetheart, yes. Just relax and let me help you." With that he quickened the movements of his fingers, chuckling to himself when her hip jerked slightly at the increased pressure.

It continued on or what seemed forever for Claire, wanting desperately to reach that climax, to feel her limbs grow heavy not with fatigue but with satisfaction. Simon continued whispering encouragement in her ears, praising her for allowing him to take care of her like this, and finally, when he the kiss he placed at her neck ended with a brief scrape of teeth, she felt herself let go, riding out her pleasure against his fingers, as he kissed at her shoulder, murmuring, "that's my girl…"

Finally, after he moved his hand away, not wanting to make her too over-sensitive, he couldn't help but smile at how at ease she looked; her face was blissed out, limbs loose, shoulders at ease.

"You ready for those pajamas and to watch some television? We can order takeout. I know that Mediterranean place you like also has frozen yogurt…"

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

He smiled down at her, her eyes still half-lidded, her lips turned up in a weak smile.

"Not today, at least."


End file.
